Our 2022 list of the Top 100 Recession-Proof Franchises includes award-winning franchise companies from many different industry segments, as well as a wide range of investment levels – including a number of businesses you can start with an initial investment (cash required) under $25,000.
We have surveyed thousands of franchise owners in our many years of research. From our perspective, franchisee satisfaction is one of the most important factors to consider before investing in any franchise opportunity. Not only do the following companies have outstanding satisfaction among their owners, but we feel they hold a strong advantage to out perform their competitors in the years ahead.
Read more about our selection criteria.
It’s the beginning of a new day and it’s time for a fresh start. In a year that had most businesses struggling to just survive, Kona Ice has thrived. Many may have felt like global even...
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Christian Brothers Automotive is more than just vehicle repair. Since its founding in 1982, their goal has been to change the way guests view automotive service. Now more than ever, consumers acros...
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FASTSIGNS International, Inc. is the leading sign and visual communications franchisor in North America, and is the worldwide franchisor of more than 750 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS&...
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TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the first and largest franchised moving company in the world, aiming to provide our customers with the highest level of service in both local and long-distance moving, a...
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We are America's Choice in Senior Home Care. We offer non-medical services to Seniors. Visiting Angels has been fine-tuning our systems throughout the past two decade...
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Since 1987, we have built and refined a robust franchise business system. This includes the research and development of our proprietary product line, highly specialized techniques, exceptional trai...
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Founded in 1975, Pinch A Penny Pool Patio Spa has grown from one store to more than 250 locations across the Southeastern U.S. and Texas. Priding itself on its superior customer service and experti...
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With a proven business model over 35 years and over 340 locations, Wild Birds Unlimited is the #1, largest and most recognized source for backyard bird feeding and nature related products in North ...
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Have you been searching for a franchise opportunity that offers high earning potential, low investment and the ability to run the business from home? You should consider a 360clean franchise....
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Snap-on Tools has the #1 market share position in the industry and our tools are universally recognized by professionals as the absolute highest quality tools in the industry. Snap-on franchisees a...
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Soccer Shots is an engaging children’s soccer program with a focus on character development. We positively impact children’s lives on and off the field through our best-in-class coachin...
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Initially founded in 1995 by former hospital administrator Allen Hager, Right at Home provides in-home care services to allow seniors and people with disabilities to retain as much independence and...
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Mr. Handyman® serves a much bigger purpose than providing home improvement and maintenance. Mr. Handyman’s independently owned and operated franchisees are the key to making people’...
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Founded more than 35 years ago, Pizza Factory has stayed true to its roots with hardworking owners, family-friendly dining and high-quality products (pizza, pasta, wings, sandwiches, salads, beer, ...
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Profitable. Simple. Fun. Wetzel’s Pretzels offers a proven franchise business model that satisfies consumer’s cravings for handheld snacks on-the-go. With ingredients like flexible loca...
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You want to build a real business, not just a second job. If you want to build a business that makes a difference in your life and the community, you will need professional lead generation, capital...
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A business to business service, Payroll Vault is a boutique-style full-service payroll company designed for small business. Payroll is ranked in the Top 3 Outsourced Business Services, and with ove...
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Creative World School is a unique business opportunity in the early child education industry. Our schools are unlike any other in the market and provide several selling advantages to our owners. Ou...
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Today, you stand at the brink of a home care industry that is poised for exponential growth. Currently there are more than 50 million seniors aged 65 or older in the United States, and through the ...
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Amazing Athletes is a mobile, year-round, educational sports and fitness program that introduces young children to the basic fundamentals of 10 different sports while helping them master 6 key area...
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Checkers & Rally’s franchisees achieve their goals faster with a strong return on investment, innovative technology and competitive growth incentives.
Because of our metrics-dri...
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Mr. Appliance®, in operation since 1996, is North America’s largest appliance repair franchise. With longevity comes trust, a recognizable brand, and a loyal customer base. Whether you ar...
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TeamLogic IT franchisees provide outsourced IT services and support to small- and medium-sized businesses. This support ranges from day-to-day computer repair and upgrades all the way to the instal...
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Assisting Hands Home Care is one of the leading in-home care franchises, emphasizing exceptional customer service and personalized care, providing our franchisees with a proven and scalable busines...
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We work with REIT’s, current campground owners, and prospective franchisees on building, improving, or buying existing campgrounds. We are considered destination campgrounds, and not just a p...
Learn More of Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park (TM) Camp Resorts
Any Lab Test Now makes it easy for consumers to take control of their health by empowering them to purchase lab tests with affordable, transparent prices. Common types of customers we serve include...
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The 30 Minute Hit is definitely not your typical gym. Not a typical women’s only gym. And certainly not a typical Kickboxing gym. The 30 Minute Hit is a special place, that inspires and empow...
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Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services, based in Palm Harbor, Fla., is one of the most respected full-service commercial cleaning companies in the nation. Office Pride’s business was built...
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Glass Doctor®, a Neighborly® company, is an industry-leading glass repair and replacement franchise specializing in both auto glass services and home and business glass services with over 1...
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Senior Care Authority is a "feel good” business in the high demand senior industry that gives franchise owners the opportunity to build a business that is both financially and personally...
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With the vision of becoming the go-to resource for outsourced bookkeeping and operational support services in her Greater Boston, MA community, Leslie Jorgensen founded Supporting Strategies in 200...
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Our business model includes multiple different revenue streams as well as an endless list of potential commercial and residential customers. This has led to us being awarded Recession Proof awards ...
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Image One is a national franchise that has grown incredibly since it started to offer franchising opportunities in 2011. There are a few key aspects of the Image One franchise opportunity that are ...
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Truly Nolen started pest control operations in 1938 and is one of the most stable pest, termite, lawn, and rodent control companies in the industry. Their longevity in the industry, impactful brand...
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Storm Guard is the largest residential roofing and construction franchise in the US, offering quality insurance and non-insurance construction expertise and services to homeowners and business owne...
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Since 1994, Mr. Electric® has specialized in electrical installation and repair for both residential and business customers. Mr. Electric® independently owned and operated franchisees now s...
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HomeWell Care Services provides personal care, companionship, and homemaker services that help seniors and other homebound individuals remain safely in the comfort of home. We’re one of the f...
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Founded in 1988, Premier Pool Service has built a well-earned reputation for delivering first-class results within the customer’s budget. Homeowners nationwide entrust Premier Pool Service wi...
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Build your dream life helping others find their dream job!
Put your sales or business background to work as a NEXTAFF Owner and help job seekers and empl...
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Oasis Senior Advisors is a home-based, scalable concept with high growth potential, recession resilience, and a low investment / low overhead business model that allows owners to control their own ...
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ATAX is a full-service national tax preparation and business services franchise. We are proud to serve clients in both English and Spanish.
We offer many services to help you with your pe...
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A Place At Home was co-founded in 2012 by two childhood friends, Dustin Distefano and Jerod Evanich in Omaha, Nebraska. After several attempts at finding acceptable care for their loved ones, they ...
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Our first steps in compiling our Top Recession-Proof Franchises list included identifying and agreeing upon the criteria we would use – no easy task with thousands of franchise opportunities across the United States from which to choose from.
Our first criterion for inclusion on this list was high franchisee satisfaction scores. Franchise Business Review surveys tens of thousands of franchise owners every year, and owner satisfaction is always the first benchmark we begin with. We quickly narrowed our list down from more than 3,000 franchise companies to just the Top 200 franchise opportunities based on satisfaction alone. We recently published our Top 200 Franchises in January, so we felt this was a good starting point.
Once we put these minimum standards in place, we started to identify the specific criteria that would be used to measure franchise companies and franchisees against those standards.
Narrowing our Top Recession-Proof Franchises list from 200 potential opportunities down to the 100 top franchises proved to be even more challenging. After all, we’re currently living in historic times. As we stated earlier, no business is completely recession-proof, especially right now. But we can look back to see how these franchises performed during the Great Recession of 2008 - 2010, the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 - 2021, and also look at the more recent industry and consumer trends. Looking at this historical performance helps us predict how these businesses may perform over the years to come, and determine which franchises are likely to be more recession-proof than others.
In addition to franchisee satisfaction, we looked at a number of key factors that would help us gauge how recession-resistant a business is likely to be, including:
There are many innovative and creative new business concepts demonstrated in franchising today, yet the primary benefit of investing in a franchise is having access to the franchisor’s proven track record of success--which has already been tested in various markets. This key benefit can only be realized by investing in more established brands of a certain size that have stood the test of time.
To satisfy this criterion, we only considered top-tier franchise brands with well-established business models and strong networks of franchisees. With only a few exceptions, the vast majority of the franchise companies that made our recession-proof list have been operating for a decade or more, and most have more than 100 locations nationally. Certainly, there are some interesting, smaller franchise opportunities out there that show strong signs of being recession-proof, but we strongly favored those businesses with longer, more successful track records.
When consumer budgets tighten during a poor economy, spending often shifts toward products and services deemed necessary and vital, and away from products or services deemed unessential. This can obviously be subjective and varies from market to market based on financial demographics. For example, while homeowners over the past few weeks may have put off big-ticket items like new additions or fancy kitchen renovations, basic handyman services, plumbing, and appliance repair services often grow in demand as people understand the importance of maintaining their home values. Child services, education, pet products, and lower-cost fitness business concepts are all sectors that are typically recession-proof.
During a recession, consumer spending slows--but it doesn’t stop. Businesses that are perceived as offering value-priced products or services have been historically recession-proof. Another example: while consumers may cut back or even eliminate visits to high-end restaurants, pizza parlors and other value-focused, quick service restaurant (QSR) franchises can thrive – especially businesses that are viewed as both values-focused and family-friendly.
There were a number of strong franchise opportunities that we removed from our recession-proof list simply because of their high investment requirements and longer development cycles. While these brands have outstanding franchisee satisfaction scores, and we predict they will perform very well during the economic downturn, their higher investment costs and longer development time frames require a business investor with more capital and a longer-term investment horizon.
While top-line sales (gross sales or revenue) of a business are important performance metrics, the bottom line (net operating income) is where the rubber meets the road for franchise owners. Believe it or not, there are many small businesses that generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue each year, but they don’t turn a profit – or worse, they lose money. Obviously, profit margins are critical, especially in a down economy. Understanding the economic potential of a particular unit (business outlet or location) is a must before investing in any business.
At a high level, we know the businesses on our Top Recession-Proof Franchises list have historically performed well for franchisees. In the current economic climate, it’s important for prospective franchisees to talk with many different franchise owners and learn first-hand how their business is performing for those business owners.
Nobody knows whether or not a franchise business is a great investment better than the franchisees who’ve bought into those brands. The questions we asked them were pretty straightforward:
Having surveyed franchisees from more than 1,200 franchise companies over the last 17 years, Franchise Business Review understands how closely high franchisee satisfaction scores are tied to franchise performance. Low franchisee satisfaction scores immediately disqualified a company from our list, no matter how recession-proof we thought their business might be.
It’s important to note that some franchise companies don’t allow third-party research firms like Franchise Business Review to survey their franchise owners, or if they do, they don’t share this information publicly. In these cases, these brands were disqualified for their lack of available data.
In the final phase of identifying top-tier franchise brands, we conducted a Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDD) review of each franchise company. We reviewed the FDDs for items such as:
We’ve said multiple times already, but it’s worth repeating here – no business is completely recession-proof. That said, given all of our research and experience observing the franchise economy for the past 17 years, we feel strongly that our list of the Top Recession-Proof Franchises represents some of the best potential business investments for investors over the next few years.
Note: Franchise Business Review always recommends that before anyone invests in a franchise business, they should hire a franchise attorney to help them review both the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) and the franchise agreement. A qualified franchise attorney can help educate you about the detailed contents in the franchise agreement and FDD so that you can make a well-informed decision. Past business performance is not a guarantee of future success.
